THE BIRTH OF ROCK’N’ROLL

BIG MAMA THORNTON

WW 2 ENDS

The Baby Boomer Phenomena

BIRTH RATE CHART.

THE BABY BOOMERS More children born than ever before or

since on the planet -the generation of the jazz era are now

the parents of the baby boomers The baby boomers will shape much of

our history, especially our musical one A baby born 1946 would be how old in

1957?

-as blues music gets more exposure it is adopted by many southern white musicians who begin to play and perform in styles long used by blues musicians

Like this kid, born in Tupelo Mississippi, 1935

Born poor, he lived in black neighborhoods

Was getting tossed our of jukejoints when he was your age.

Learned to play guitar and sing and dance in styles he saw in the jukejointsWas a hit in high school and then began to play county fairs around Memphis Tennessee

Discovered playing on a Memphis street by Sam Phillips

Records him on the “Sun” record label

Eventually picked up by RCA

Becomes a superstar

ELVIS PRESLEY

Elvis Presley

ELVIS HISTERIA Elvis Presley

becomes the first “poster boy” for the baby boomer generation

The girls just love him

He had help becoming so famous

THE TELEVISION Televisions hit the market in the 1950s

THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW He had the biggest

show on tv It was on CBS on

Sunday nights and was a variety show

He got Elvis Presley on Sept 9, 1956

Became the most watched show in American history at that time

BUT… There was a problem… Elvis’ dancing caused

outrage His hip movement was

indecent, disgusting, lewd, provocative

What should Sullivan do? Most watched show ever, most complaints ever?

HAVE HIM BACK October 28th 1956 He breaks all the records he set the first time. Let’s see how they filmed him.

SO BEGINS THE CENSORSHIP DEBATE “Rock’n’Roll” a term

invented by Alan Freed, who was re-labelling R&B or “Race Music”

Rock’n’Roll is however a New Orleans euphemism…

For sex!

BUT THE REAL PROBLEM IS… Race Rock’n’Roll had existed for years, just

not in white culture. The kids of the Jazz era, as parents

now, repeat the mistakes of their own parents when jazz was the issue in the 1920s

Record companies, just like Ed Sullivan, know it sells, and do their best to package it in white

Bill Haley and the Comets Buddy Holly

And many more, too lame to mention

SOME BLACK MUSICIANS CROSSED OVER

Remember these two Chuck Berry and Bo Didley from Chess Records in Chicago

LITTLE RICHARD

THEN GUESS WHAT THEY FOUND OUT? The Robert Johnson

Myth Rock’n’Roll now

gains the term “The Devil’s Music”

JERRY LEE LEWIS